Month: February 2017

[This is a draft. Due to the time sensitive nature, I’m posting it as is. I’ll update as best I can before the elections. ]

Help Choose The DNC Leadership Committee. You do have a voice in this.

February 25, 2017 marks the date that Democratic Party Central Committee members vote for leadership positions of the DNC. This includes the Chair, the five Vice Chairs, a Treasurer, a Secretary, and a National Finance Chair.

Why is this important? DNC Leadership has a lot to do with who we get to vote on in the primaries, how campaign dollars will be spent, which races the DNC considers important, and the issue of super-delegates. With the level of activism taking place and the number of grassroots organizations involved, it’s very important that the DNC taps into and supports grassroots activism. We Need Progressive Leaders.

Each of us can help make those choices by calling or emailing your choices to the voting members of the DNC in your state. Find out who those members of your state Democratic Party are by contacting the Political Organizing Coordinator of our state. Voting is Saturday Feb 25, so make those calls as soon as possible.

This needs to go national. Each state will have a vote. Copy and paste this post to get the widest circulation.

DNC Chair Candidates:

There was a debate by candidates for DNC Chair Wednesday, Feb 22 on CNN Debate.

Along with my personal choices, I will be telling each voting member from my state that I strongly believe the DNC needs to choose progressive, non-establishment leaders or they will see large numbers of voters walk away from the Democratic Party.

People now realize this country can NOT continue down the neo-liberal path we’ve been on. The Democratic Party and the Democratic candidates must stop taking corporate money. This will no longer be tolerated by voters.

The DNC needs to spend money and effort at the grassroots level instead of focusing on the higher level campaigns and drastically cut t.v. advertising. Focus on state legislatures to help stop the onslaught of ALEC designed bills that continue to chip away at the well-being of the people. Mobilize people and Democratic candidates will win. Support them and give them modern tools to use.

All districts and counties in all states should get support. One thing that has become very clear to me is that each area has a number of Progressives. Many feel isolated and abandoned and don’t speak up because they think they are alone. They become vocal and active once they realize they aren’t alone. I’ve seen it over and over. Reach out to them.

Thanks to this election, we have a once in a lifetime opportunity to bring about real change. Big change, not incremental. People were inspired by Bernie. People are aghast at what the current administration is doing. Both of those forces have woken people to the fact that we need to participate in this experiment we call the U.S.A. Don’t blow this by electing moderate, establishment leadership.

The voting members of the Oregon DNC delegation will be the three recently elected DNC delegates:

Candidate Information:

Our party can’t afford to spend the next two years having an ideological debate on whether we are liberals or moderates. The Democratic Party has always represented the people and now more than ever we must blow the walls off our tent so everyone feels welcome.

On Nov. 8th, 50 percent of American voters stayed home.

It’s time to have an organizational conversation on how we become a resilient, innovative Party for the 21st century. Our most important mission is to inspire all Americans to participate fully in democracy and clear all barriers that stand between Americans and their right to cast a ballot. As your next DNC chair, I will lead the insurgency against the forces that threaten the country we love.

I am accessible, responsive, and an action-oriented professional who people trust. I have a unique skillset that joins high level strategic thinking with day-to-day operational execution.

For the last decade, saving our American democracy has been my personal mission. As DNC Chair, I will strive to involve everyone in the political process. Voting is just the beginning step to ensuring our government is of, by and for the people.

My take: Sally Boynton Brown is likely to inspire the younger generation. From a statement she made about her role, she demonstrates that she gets that she is a privileged white woman and that she can help give reasons for POC to feel listened to by the Democratic Party and not just a group of voters the DNC can count on to vote Democratic. That same statement, unfortunately, caused a lot of backlash from whites.

My job is to listen and be a voice, and my job is to shut other white people down when they want to interrupt. My job is to shut other white people down when they want to say ‘Oh no I’m not prejudiced, I’m a Democrat, I’m accepting.’ My job is to make sure that they get that they have privilege and until we shut our mouths and we listen to those people who don’t and we lift our people up so that we all have equity in this country, so that we’re all fighting alongside each other, so that we’re all on the same page and we clearly get where we’re going, we’re not going to break through this.

Also likely to inspire the younger generation. A Rhodes Scholar, Buttigieg studied Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at Oxford and holds a bachelor’s degree in History and Literature from Harvard.

Elected at the age of 29, he is America’s youngest mayor of a city with over 100,000 residents. In 2013, he was named national Mayor of the Year by GovFresh.com, sharing the honor with New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and was called “the most interesting mayor you’ve never heard of” by the Washington Post. An officer in U.S. Navy Reserve, Buttigieg took a leave of absence to serve in Afghanistan during a seven-month deployment in 2014, earning the Joint Service Commendation Medal for his counterterrorism work.

Approximately 447 members serve on the National Committee. The membership is composed of the following general categories:

State-elected Members: Most DNC members are elected by a Democratic Party process held in each state and territory. Two hundred members are apportioned among the states (including the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico) based on population and Democratic voting strength – with each state receiving at least two members. (The allocations range from two members in a number of states to 19 in California.) Additional members are apportioned to Democrats Abroad, American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Democrats Abroad.

State Chairs and Vice Chairs: Each State Party’s Chair and Vice Chair (technically, the highest ranking officer of the opposite sex of the Chair) are automatically recognized as DNC members.

Representatives of Democratic Elected Officials and Affiliated Organizations: The National Committee includes representative Democratic officials from various levels of elected office including: U.S. Senators, U.S. Representatives, Governors, Mayors, State Legislators, Municipal and County Officials, etc. In addition, Democratic organizations such as the College Democrats, Young Democrats, and National Federation of Democratic Women have representatives on the DNC.

At-Large Members: To help ensure Democratic constituencies have appropriate representation within the Party organization, the National Committee members elect an additional group of members (75) who serve in an “At-Large” capacity.

How are members of the Democratic National Committee selected?

Each state Democratic Party has its own rules for selecting its DNC members. Some members are elected on the ballot as part of the state’s Democratic primary, and in other states the members are elected by the State Democratic Committee or the State Convention.

How long is a DNC member’s term of office?

Democratic National Committee members from the states and territories are elected every four years during the presidential election year. They begin serving upon the adjournment of the National Convention, and serve until the adjournment of the next National Convention.

What is the role and responsibility of a DNC member?

DNC members are Party leaders and activists within their communities and at various levels of the Party. As such, they serve as an important liaison between the National Party, its constituencies, and state and local Democrats. Members attend and participate at DNC meetings and share their political expertise with the National organization and each other. Members also play an important role in recruiting and training other Democratic activists to work on behalf of Democratic candidates and Democratic legislative proposals.